Questions of Safety
by JackieStarSister
Summary: A short story cycle about Korra and Mako's family dynamics after they become parents. Each of their kids will have a chapter focusing on them. Dedicated to eviechan68, who owns the cover art and original characters.
1. Table of Contents

Table of Contents

"A Spirit of Adoption." Korra and Mako try to figure out how to share their history with their children.

"Passing the Torch." Mako has reservations when Naoki and her cousins want to take up pro-bending.

"Cosmos in Chaos." Miki tries to find her place as the only non-bender in the Avatar's family.

"Memory of a Memory." Daiki tries to reconcile his love for his new family with the memory of his biological parents.


	2. A Spirit of Adoption

**Dedication and Disclaimers:** The original characters in this piece belong to eviechan68, who requested I write a about them in exchange for her designing my OCs and illustrating scenes from "Trust, Truth, Fear, and Freedom." At first this was just going to be one short story, but then I decided to give each OC a chapter to be the focus.

 **Fun fact:** the epigraph of this chapter contains a phrase similar to the name of a _Legend of Korra_ episode.

* * *

"A Spirit of Adoption"

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,  
The fruit of the womb is a reward.  
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,  
So are the children of one's youth.  
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;  
They will not be ashamed  
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.  
~ Psalm 127:3-5, New American Standard Bible

* * *

When Korra and Mako were living their independent lives, they didn't worry too much about the possibility of injury or death. They were willing to risk those possibilities for themselves. But their priorities changed when they became parents, because they felt they had to stay alive for the sake of their children.

When it came to protecting their children, they were both willing to lay down their lives—which was problematic for Korra, since forfeiting her life would mean leaving the world without an Avatar until her next incarnation was found. They argued about who was responsible for whose safety, what precautions were necessary, which risks were worthwhile. Sometimes, if they were stressed or arguing about safety measures, Korra's forehead would crinkle and she would touch Mako's scarred left hand, remembering and reminding him of the great risk he had taken, the sacrifice he had been willing to make.

Mako eventually became accustomed to having his scar touched. It happened whenever he had an appointment with a doctor or healer, particularly while his arm was healing. After he and Korra tried dating again, and even more so after they married, she sometimes stroked it or kissed it while they cuddled. Their daughter, Naoki, fingered the scarred skin, exploring his body the same way she explored Korra and Naga and whoever might happen to hold her. She examined people in much the same manner as she explored places. She was taking everything in, learning to use her senses, and getting to know the characters and objects and environments in her recently-begun life.

Young children do not realize how strange or unique certain qualities are, when they see them in the people they love and with whom they have frequent contact. They take circumstances for granted. But after seeing more variance, and learning to recall experiences, they can think more objectively, even make comparisons.

After four years of observation, Naoki realized her father was the only person she knew whose arm had skin of that color and texture. Mako was reading her a bedtime story, and gave little notice to the way she traced the strange skin of his left arm, since she had done it so often before. He was not prepared when Naoki articulated her curiosity: "Why is your arm like this?"

He tried to think quickly, but clearly and prudently. She was too young to understand the political conflict that had led to his injury, and Mako did not want to frighten her with descriptions of the giant mecha tank and spirit-vine laser cannon. The safest answer was minimal: "I got it from bending lightning." That might actually impress upon her how dangerous lightning was, and perhaps deter her from trying it too soon. But his answer had the opposite effect: she had not known the lightning manipulation was a subtalent of firebending, and now she wanted to know more, and learn to do it herself. She was just like Korra that way—perhaps too much like her.

Naga was another point of contention in their arguments about safety. While Korra saw no problem with letting Naoki or other small children interact with her animal guide, Mako's feelings were more mixed. Ultimately, he trusted Naga—she had saved them and their loved ones more times than they could count—but he still felt uneasy seeing the huge creature next to a baby, _his_ baby. He worried that someone, at some point, would underestimate Naga's strength. He had seen Naga batter bad guys with her paws; according to Bolin, she had even pushed aside metal bars. Could he really be blamed for panicking when she licked Naoki and let her climb up her head before lifting it? Korra laughed at his reactions, and took Naoki up on the saddle for proper rides.

Naoki did not realize how rare it was to have regular contact with a polar-bear dog, until she learned about animals in school. Then the question was, "How did you get Naga?" Korra felt torn about telling the story, even though it was one of her fondest childhood memories. She had been five or six when she sneaked out of her parents' house at night and went looking for polar-bear dogs to play with in a blizzard. Looking back, she considered it sheer luck (though Master Katara had said it was probably destiny) that the only one she found had been a lost pup. Neither she nor Mako wanted their children to attempt something that risky.

It was hard making arrangements for supervising and bonding with her. They both worked at busy, sometimes dangerous jobs, so bringing her along was not always an option. They were lucky to have so many baby-sitters close by.

One option was to leave her on Air Temple Island. Baatar Beifong, Senior had helped to design and install a building designated for child care in the Air Nomad community. Such a place had not been necessary when it was mostly made up of Air Acolytes, who were encouraged, though not required, to be celibate. But now many of the new airbenders were marrying and having airbender children. Tenzin remained uncertain about how to structure the society they were trying to build, since, before the Hundred Year War, the Air Nomads had split their society by gender and raised children communally rather than in individual family units. To try to impose that structure on their still relatively small communities was just short of unthinkable—even Tenzin did not think he would have the heart to split up his family that way.

Another option, or rather set of options, was Mako and Bolin's relatives. Most of them still lived in the Sato mansion, but some individual family units had spread out to other parts of Republic City.

The third option was to let Naoki stay with whichever of their friends or relatives happened to be in the area. This was not often, but when it happened, they always took this opportunity. Naoki called Asami and Iroh her aunt and uncle, and considered them as much a part of her family as Bolin and Opal. It took many years for Naoki to give the concept of titles and relationships much thought. Then questions about the family tree began: who were they actually related to, and why were there odd variations in the family tree?

"Dad? We've met Mom's parents and cousins, and your grandma and aunts and uncles and cousins, but where are your parents?"

So he had to explain about death, about how the people you love could be gone and never come back. He told Naoki about the grandmother for whom she was named, and the parents Aunt Asami lost.

She understood better when she met Daiki and Miki. The brother and sister had lost their parents in a triad raid, which Mako and and the police force subsequently investigated. Mako immediately identified with them—particularly Daiki, who carried the responsibility of being the elder sibling—and Korra's heart simply melted with compassion for them.

Mako was the only adult Daiki and Miki trusted, since he had helped catch the gangsters who killed their parents. So he offered to let them stay with his family—they were not officially registered or trained as foster parents, but it was hard to argue with the Avatar and the Chief of Police. They enforced laws, and could get away with bending them.

Daiki and Miki asked some of the same questions Naoki had asked years ago, about the way they lived. They were initially frightened of Naga, but Korra and Naoki coaxed them into trusting her, and showed them all the games Naga liked to play. That helped lift their spirits for the first time since their parents died. When the polar-bear dog realized they liked to simply pet her, she took full advantage of this favor, and the motion soothed their anxiety.

At first the living arrangement was considered temporary, at least to outsiders. But Mako and Korra seemed to have a silent, mutual understanding that they wanted to change that. It was not the first time Mako saw someone orphaned by triad activity, but it was the first time he saw it happen to siblings, at least since he became the Chief of Police. They couldn't just hand them over to social services, who might send them to separate homes if no foster families or potential adoptive families wanted the two.

One night, Korra found the three children and her pet had fallen asleep curled up together, as though they were a family. At that moment, she knew: they were meant to be one.

They privately asked Naoki for her opinion before making the decision official. They did not know how she would feel about having a brother and sister, and whether she would be alright with sharing her parents' already limited time and attention. Witnessing the extreme toxicity of some sibling relationships—Noatak and Tarrlok, Tonraq and Unalaq, and multiple generations of Beifongs—made them apprehensive about how the children's relationships would develop if they went through with the double adoption.

To their immense relief and joy, Naoki responded enthusiastically to the idea. She already liked playing with Daiki and Miki. Now she would always have an earthbender brother to spar with, and a cute sister to dress up and experiment with hairstyles.

Then they posed the question to the biological siblings: "Would you like to stay here, for good?"

Miki was thrilled, and immediately hugged Korra. Daiki was slower to react, not quite believing it was possible, that this too-good-to-be-true transitory place could be their home, that these too-nice-to-be-real people could be their family.

"I know there's no replacing your parents," Mako said gently. "But, if you want a family—a mom, a dad—that's what we'll be to you."

"You need parents' love," Korra said. "We want to give you that. Will you let us?"

Daiki had cried fairly often in the weeks since his parents died, so they were not surprised when tears filled his eyes. Mako opened his arms slightly, inviting him to a hug, a gesture of familiarity that he had not made to the boy before (he had to maintain professionalism as an officer protecting the victim of a crime). Miki moved from Korra to Mako; it only took a moment for Daiki to follow her into the embrace. Mako kissed both of their heads. There was no need to say "thank you" or "you're welcome"; those thoughts and feelings could not have been any more clear.

Then, life threw them another surprise: Korra became pregnant a second time. So in less than two years, the size of their family doubled, and Naoki went from being an only child to being the eldest of a crew of kids.

Naoki had never liked the patronizing attention people paid her, gushing over how cute she was and how proud she must be of her stellar celebrity parents. Despite her distaste of these kinds of interactions, she was not sure how she felt when the dynamic changed and people started looking at her new brother and sister before her. She felt a little jealous, being pushed to the sideline. But when people gave the family queer looks and asked her, "How do _you_ feel about being a big sister?" she felt defensive and proud. Korra felt similarly, as though she had to justify her life choices. It was Mako who calmed their agitation.

When she became a big sister, Naoki began to gradually see what it was like watching, instead of only experiencing, the interactions between parents and children. For the first time, she understood and even felt the disdain with which adults met certain complaints and requests. Naoki complained about things Daiki wouldn't dream of, like having to eat vegetables and wear winter coats. Conversely, Daiki was meticulous about safety measures, which Naoki scorned and rebelled against.

When Daiki woke up from nightmares, crying for his biological parents, she tried to comfort him, thinking the subject of the dreams might hurt her—no, _their—_ parents' feelings. It didn't work, the first few times; Daiki was inconsolable until Mako came in and soothed him. He had plenty of practice, having done the same for Bolin when they were children. Naoki observed the gentle words, tones, and gestures; and the next time Daiki had a nightmare she tried to imitate them. She managed to calm him down, and distracted him by sitting on the edge of his bed and talking to him about other things, like what movers they wanted to see, and what places they might visit on the next vacation (Daiki and Miki had never been on a vacation before). Sometimes she bent a small fire in her hand and used the light to read aloud to him.

When they were older, and Miki started writing stories, people asked her how and when she decided to be a writer. Miki attributed her love of stories to hearing Naoki read aloud or make up stories for Daiki; they did not realize how often she lay awake in her crib, listening to them. Even when she was too young to understand the meaning of the words, and structure of a story, the inflections of Naoki's voice fascinated her. Jinora also encouraged her appreciation of stories, and liked to read aloud to anyone who would listen, but her tone was wise and factual, while Naoki used her voice to get into character and create dramatic effect. She knew how to inspire feelings of fear or safety, depending on the mood.

While Korra was pregnant, she encouraged the kids to talk to their future brother or sister. So Miki tried out storytelling for the first time, whispering to it. After Kesuk was born, she kept using him as an experimental audience, and judged the success of her delivery by whether she could hold his attention.

As she got older and her curiosity and creativity grew, Miki was not content with the short, evasive answers Korra and Mako gave about events in the past. She wanted to know the full details, in all their frightening glory. She could read full accounts in Jinora's memoirs and public sources like the library and old newspapers, but she preferred hearing them from the people who had experienced the adventures firsthand.

For Korra and Mako, telling the stories of their lives brought back a plethora of emotions: they relived the fear, hope, anxiety, pride, despair, and triumph of their adventures. It took a fair amount of trust to tell their children about their journeys. It certainly complicated the kids' perceptions of them, made them see their parents more as real people, with imperfections and mistakes, but also incredible power and achievements.

When Korra pointed to his scar during one of their arguments, Mako reminded her that she carried scars of her own. The only difference was that hers were not plainly visible like his; they were emotional, mental, and spiritual. What they had in common was that although the scars never truly went away, they learned to live with them.

Kesuk whined when he heard the anger and agitation in their voices. Korra picked him up and started swaying to soothe him, though her mind stayed on the argument. She mused aloud, "Maybe you can't live a long or fulfilling life without getting scarred in some way."

"You talking literally or metaphorically?" Mako asked.

"Either way is true. Daiki still has some scars from losing his parents. And—I hate to think about it, but if I'm being realistic—as benders, Naoki and Daiki will probably get at least some minor injuries as they get older." Korra paused, and then smiled, to Mako's slight surprise. "And if Miki is serious about being a writer, she'll be exposing herself to a world of judgment."

"So … you think there's no way we can avoid pain for them? That trying to protect them is pointless?"

"No. We can—we _should—_ try to keep them safe, as much as we can—but we can't beat ourselves up if they get scared or hurt. That's just how life is—for anyone, really, if more so for us. And we shouldn't keep assuming they can't handle the truth about danger and pain. We should just help them become strong enough to bear them."

"Bear _knowing_ about them, or bear _experiencing_ them?"

Korra lowered Kesuk from her shoulder to cradle him in her arms. There had been complications when she carried and gave birth to him, but they had both come through all right. Someday she would tell him about how he came into the world, and how a tragedy led Daiki and Miki into their lives, and all the stories they were now sharing with his siblings. He looked so small, but when he squeezed her arm or kicked his legs, she could feel how strong he was, like his grandparents, his parents, and his siblings by birth and adoption.

She sat down next to Mako, passing their son to him with a smile. "Both."


	3. Passing the Torch

**Author's Note:** This is a long-overdue story for eviechan68, in exchange for an illustration of a scene from "Trust, Truth, Fear, and Freedom". All the original characters named in this piece belong to her.

* * *

"Passing the Torch"

Children are taught fear early, fear of water, fear of fire. Not that parents aren't right to warn; too many little ones have drowned, have been burned, because of careless parents. But there's a fine line between essential prudence for the child's sake, and the destruction of creativity. Allowing the child a certain amount of solitude in a reasonably safe environment (no environment in this world is totally safe) is allowing the child's imagination to grow and develop, so that the child may ultimately learn how to be mature. ~ Madeleine L'Engle, _Walking on Water_

* * *

During her first pregnancy, Korra half-jokingly predicted that her baby would be a bender, and specifically a pro-bender. Mako did not know whether this idea stemmed from intuition or desire. The baby _was_ quite active inside her womb, moving its arms and legs as though practicing forms.

Even as working adults, and even after they became parents, Mako and Korra followed pro-bending as much as their busy schedules allowed. They were very rarely able to see live matches, but in their free time they listened to the live radio broadcasts or read the newspaper recaps. They attended the championship each year that they were able.

That was how Naoki got her first exposure to the sport as an infant. Mako worried that she might be cranky at the arena, with so much light and noise keeping her awake, but she was animated throughout the night. She seemed to match the adults' excitement.

Bolin loved telling stories about the Fire Ferrets' brief but beautiful glory days. He had archived them in a scrapbook, and gladly showed it to anyone remotely interested in his athletic career, especially his children and their cousins. When he and Opal and their three children managed to be in Republic City in time for the pro-bending championship, he offered to give the kids a grand tour of the Arena, telling them all the stories that it held: the years he and Mako spent living in the attic, Mako and Korra's showdown against Amon, and Bolin's movie premiere and foiling of a political kidnapping.

Korra and Mako were embarrassed when he told the story of how he introduced them. "She sneaks in without a ticket, or even money to pay for one, so Toza is about to take her to security. Then I step in and say she's with me, so he lets her off the hook. I show her the view from our lockers―best seats in the house, really―and I introduce myself. 'Name's Bolin.' And all she says is, 'Korra.' No title, just a regular kid. Then, my brother comes in and starts to tell me off for bringing in a fangirl. I do the polite thing, and try to introduce them―but Mako's already focused on the game. After the match, he sees her and says, 'Oh, you're still here?' and she's like, 'Oh, you're still a jerk?' Then she asks me if I can show her some moves. Now, she's in Water Tribe getup, so I assume she's a waterbender, but when I mention it, she tells me she's an earthbender … and when I apologize for my assumption, she says yes, she is also a waterbender, and a firebender. While I'm all confused, Mako figures it out and says to Korra: 'You're the Avatar, and I'm an idiot.' And you know what?" He leaned in conspiratorially and confided, "That's still true today."

Naoki loved hearing these stories, and watching the matches with her relatives and their friends. So no one was really surprised when she asked her uncle, "How old do you have to be to pro-bend?"

"You gotta be fifteen or sixteen for the major leagues," Bolin answered. "But there are also junior leagues for kids. I think the youngest you can start that is ten years old."

Naoki clung to this knowledge with the same impatience with which her peers waited to see new movers. As her tenth birthday approached, she asked her parents again and again when she could begin. Korra said they only had to wait for the new season, but Mako kept saying they needed to discuss it with Korra before they did anything.

"What is there to discuss?" Korra asked when she and Mako finally sat down to talk about it. Perhaps Naoki's annoyance was rubbing off on her; or perhaps her second pregnancy was affecting her attitude.

"Well … I mean …" Mako counted on his fingers. "There's whether she's mature enough to get along with other kids, in an environment where bending is allowed; whether she's likely to get hurt; whether she's likely to hurt other people—"

"Oh, come on. That's part of the sport."

"And you're okay with that?"

"It's nothing serious, especially not in the junior league."

Mako could not say anything that would convince Korra to hold Naoki back. Korra knew all too well how it felt to have one's parents and teachers stop one from reaching one's potential. She was determined not to make that mistake with her own children.

Having lost his original case, Mako would have loved to volunteer as a referee or coach for the junior pro-bending league. He ended up not doing so, because it would have added to his already overwhelming number of commitments, and Naoki may have disliked having him in charge of her peer group. Her parents already embarrassed her by calling out the referees about things they missed. At least she was not alone in that experience; some of her peers' parents acted that way at times. But only Naoki carried the weight of her parents' distinct reputations. Never mind that many kids in the junior league had parents in the major leagues; only Naoki could claim that both of her parents were heroes. Well, her earthbender cousin San could make that claim too, but his parents were not as well-known locally or internationally as the Avatar and her husband. He didn't feel the kind of pride and embarrassment she felt at the various times people mentioned her parentage.

Kesuk's birth brought Naoki something of a reprieve, since he made Korra and Mako even busier than they had been before. Naoki found it much easier to focus on what she was doing when she did not have to think about her parents' reactions. Not that she didn't want to impress them, but it was hard to do that when they kept yelling at the refs and trying to make the game easier for her. Despite her young age, she knew the only way she would get better would be if she challenged herself.

During her teen years, Naoki was active and persistent in lobbying for airbenders to be allowed to participate in pro-bending. More airbenders had been discovered throughout the world, and many, both in and out of the Air Nation proper, were having children who were also airbenders. Their numbers had grown to the point that more than a few wanted to try the sport—including Bolin and Opal's son, San's twin, Yan. San was already in the pro-bending junior leagues, but both wanted the chance to try it.

There were two parties that showed contention with the proposed change: the ivory tower of sports authorities, and the Air Nation government.

Former celebrity athletes like Toza and Tahno, arena owners like Butakha, commentators like Shiro Shinobi, and sports experts discussed the game's history and debated whether it made sense to change it. Pro-bending had formed as a result of the blending of three cultures. It was both a conceptual symbol and a practical demonstration of how people of different abilities could work together for a common goal. Most people agreed that it would make sense for airbenders to be included once there were enough of them to have evenly-matched teams. Yet many who were not familiar with airbending thought it was too soft for such a rough game, or too hard for a referee to judge fairly.

Tenzin had respect and appreciation for the sport, and admitted that some airbending forms were compatible with it (as Korra had demonstrated in her very first match). He even expressed appreciation for the individuals who wanted to include his people in a culture-bridging game. Nevertheless, he was reluctant to see airbending used in a form of dueling, which seemed contrary to the Air Nomads' philosophy of peace. Even though there were more airbenders in the world, he was rather protective of the way airbending was used, not wanting to disgrace the art. The fact that winners received prize money could even draw airbenders away from the simple, unselfish Air Nomad lifestyle and buy into the all-too-materialistic culture of urbanism and globalism.

San and Yan drew their aunt Korra and uncle Mako's attention to the movement, and got them to sign the petition to allow airbenders to participate in pro-bending. But even after that, Naoki badgered Korra to use her political and social influence to advocate for changing the sport, until she finally gave in and added her voice to the media conversation.

Finally, it was decided: pro-bending teams that included one airbender would be allowed to compete against other teams that included an airbender. This would alter the structure of future championships, until or unless airbenders became so numerous that they were on every team. It was having the possibility that counted the most to the lobbyists.

The junior pro-bending leagues felt the effects of the change first: airbender children were eager to try out the sport. Naoki and San were ecstatic, finally getting to play with and against kids they knew from the Air Nation, mostly those who lived on Air Temple Island. Yan had to prove his abilities by starting at the youngest age group and working his way up, but he soon got the hang of combative bending and progressed to his brother's level;

One time, over dinner, her family got into a conversation about jobs and careers, particularly ones related to bending abilities. Thirteen-year-old Daiki had just found out that he could bend metal, which opened up quite a few possibilities: he could become a a miner, a metalbender cop, an acupuncturist, a sculptor, or a construction builder. Mako described his old working at the power plant, generating lightning to provide the city with a an environmentally-friendly form of electricity.

"First you'd have to let me learn how to make lightning," Naoki pointed out. Mako had always been reluctant to talk to her about this subtalent, which she hoped and he feared she might have inherited from him. "How old were you when you learned?"

Mako looked uncomfortable. "Um … that was a long time ago …"

"You said you were, what, thirteen?" Korra recalled, mistaking his hesitance for uncertainty. Mako shot her a look.

Naoki was miffed. "I'm sixteen! You've been holding out on me!"

"Looking back, I don't think I should have learned it that young."

Naoki felt like they were deliberately leaving out one kind of career. "What if I just want to be an athlete? That's a job, isn't it?"

"Well, I guess, technically—" Mako hesitated.

"That would be great," Korra said enthusiastically. "I mean, you _are_ one already. To make that your career would be awesome."

Naoki beamed, hearing that affirmation from her mother, the athlete of athletes.

"Well, hold on," Mako said. "That's a great goal to have—and I know how it feels to want that—but it's good to have other work options to fall back on."

Naoki's proud smile transformed into a scowl with surprising speed. "Will you just come out and say you don't want me to do it?"

"What? No. I never said that, and I never will."

"But it's true, isn't it?" Rather than let him answer, Naoki pushed her plate away and left the table.

"Where are you going?" Mako demanded. "Hey! You didn't ask to be excused!"

Naoki pointedly ignored him, but called to her brother over her shoulder as she exited. "Daiki, I'll be in my room if you want to try metalbending again."

A beat of uncomfortable silence passed at the table. "… Can I go?" Daiki asked finally, picking up his plate.

"Sure, kiddo," Korra granted. "Just clear your place first."

Mako added, "Don't bend anything valuable or dangerous, okay?"

"Got it." Daiki carried both his and Naoki's plates to the sink before going upstairs.

Korra and Mako argued the matter while they cleaned up the meal. Their habit was for Korra to clean the dishes with waterbending, while Miki entertained Kesuk and Mako cleared the table and swept up crumbs.

" _Is_ it true?" Korra asked. There was no need to clarify what she was referring to. "Do you really _not_ want that for her?"

"I was fine with Naoki joining the junior league, but playing in the major league is a whole new level of—intensity. Those guys literally beat each other up."

"She's a firebender," Korra said simply. "She's gonna get bruises and burns, just like us."

"No, that's just it. I don't _want_ her to go through things like we did."

That startled Korra, causing her to drop the water she had been bending, as she simultaneously understood and rejected his line of thinking. "Whoa, Mako … I was talking about the kind of training every bender and professional athlete goes through. That's nothing. You and I know both that."

Mako was silent, so Korra went on, "I know how this will go. If we don't let her try, she'll either go behind our backs to do it anyway, or do as we say and always resent us for not letting her find out if she's good enough. If it's really too hard from her, we can tell her to give it a rest."

They eventually worked out a deal of sorts: they would let Naoki join the major league, but if it proved too physically, emotionally, or mentally harmful, she would retire until further notice. Naoki accepted these terms, figuring they were the best she could hope for at present.

Then she surprised them with her plan: she, San, and Yan wanted to bring the Fire Ferrets back, using their old name and mascot, but with the new addition of an airbender on the team. Korra was delighted, and Mako was touched, so much that he began to almost look forward to her commencement with positive anticipation.

Unfortunately for him, Naoki rather pointedly did not keep him up-to-date on her progress. It was Korra who informed him when she had completed a new step: She had held tryouts for a waterbender (apparently a lot of people were interested). They had registered and completed all the necessary paperwork. Asami had agreed to sponsor the team. The twins' uncle Huan had designed a new logo. Varrick and Zhu Li had made new uniforms that offered better protection against each of the four elements.

Finally, the practice season began.

The new Fire Ferrets would not let anyone come to their practices. They did not want their family members to see them fight until they were in the real ring.

On the night of their first match, Naoki insisted on leaving before the rest of her family in order to get ready with her team. Korra thought this was better for the younger kids—six-year-old Kesuk would get cranky being there for so many hours—but Mako took it as another sign of Naoki trying to avoid them. Was she embarrassed to be seen with them, or did she just want to focus on what she had to do tonight?

All of their friends and relatives attended. There was even a handful of reporters who thought that the Avatar's daughter's pro-bending debut was newsworthy. Mako wished they would leave and lessen the pressure Naoki must already feel.

It was surreal, hearing the name "Fire Ferrets" once again as the commentator introduced the team. As they came out onto the ring, Naoki and the twins spotted their extended family and friends—they were hard to miss, they were cheering so loudly, and their younger siblings held up encouraging hand-made signs. The Fire Ferrets' facial expressions were not visible from so far away, but the teammates waved to their family in enthusiastic and unmistakable greetings.

Throughout the match, Mako couldn't help focusing on Naoki the most. At first this was because he was looking out for attacks directed at her, but then he just watched Naoki herself. He had seen her bending before, both at home and in her junior league matches, but, it occurred to him now, it had been a long time since he watched her in a game.

Watching Naoki play was like seeing Korra in the ring so many years ago: Mako felt the same kind of awe, recognizing the kinesthetic beauty of each maneuver and improvisation. And yet Naoki's style was somehow both like and unlike Korra's, and even Mako's. One could recognize in Naoki both her mother's agility and her father's quick thinking. She knew when to hold back and when to charge forward; she could think her way out of tricky situations, and had the strength and power necessary to force her opponents back.

The Fire Ferrets did not win, but they held their own and came extremely close. At any rate, the sheer joy they expressed after each round they won was more than enough to make up for their disappointment when they lost. For a first game, they fared quite well.

The crowds and reporters made it difficult to reach Naoki and the twins afterwards, but Mako and Bolin managed to meet them outside their locker room. Their kids were drenched with sweat, but they all hugged and exclaimed excitedly. Bolin actually cried with joy, crushing his sons in a platypus-bear hug.

Mako pulled Naoki away in order to get a quiet word in. "That was awesome," he told her, with complete sincerity.

Naoki's amber eyes—her father's eyes—shone with wonder and satisfaction. "Really?"

"Really. I want you to know … I'm really glad you got to do this. And I couldn't be more proud. You set goals for yourself and saw them through. You trained your mind and body, got airbenders in the game, and organized a competent team. You've got … perseverance." That was not a word Mako had ever expected to use for his daughter, who had been spared from the kinds of trials and obstacles he had suffered in his youth. Yet it described her perfectly. When she discovered where her passion lay, she exhibited as much determination as her parents.

Naoki smiled cheekily and said, "I wonder who taught me that."

* * *

Update: After I published this, eviechan68 made a lovely drawing of Mako and Naoki's post-match hug!


	4. Cosmos in Chaos

Author's Note: This installment was tricky to write, because I had to balance topical order with chronological order. I'm still not sure if the transitions work; please let me know what you think. I apologize for the vagueness regarding the kids' ages.

* * *

"Cosmos in Chaos"

Korra and Mako agreed that all of their children—regardless of bending abilities (or lack thereof)—should learn basic self-defense. Their own experiences with chi-blocking and energybending had taught them that even benders could benefit from learning non-bending techniques.

Miki was the most reluctant to learn, which was ironic because she was arguably the one who could benefit most from knowing them. She was the most vulnerable in terms of physical power. Sometimes it seemed she was also the most vulnerable emotionally. She was quiet, sensitive, reserved yet at the same time yearning for recognition and connection.

Korra wondered whether Miki had always been this way, or whether losing her parents had changed her, made her turn inward upon herself. When Korra asked Daiki, he said she had always been shy. In contrast, he had only ever acted that way after his parents' deaths, when everything was uncertain and everyone was suspicious.

Once the two siblings' adoption was made official, Daiki became comfortable with them fairly quickly. Conversely, Miki, who had been quite happy staying indefinitely, sometimes found herself questioning where she fit in now that she was a permanent part of this family. As time passed, Daiki progressed in earthbending, and they found Kesuk was a waterbender, Miki became more and more keenly aware of how out of place she was as the only non-bender in the family.

Korra and Mako never treated Miki with any less love—in fact, they quite consciously paid her as much attention as they did their other children—but the fact was, she could not bond with any of them the way they all bonded over bending. The most she could do was be a spectator and encourager while her siblings trained and explored opportunities that came with being a bender. While they exchanged ideas for bending-related careers, Miki wondered what paths would be available to her, a non-bender.

She admired her adoptive parents' work, but she did not want to go into politics or law enforcement. She did not think she could face all the challenging, disheartening situations they had to handle—like her biological parents' murder.

Naoki once teasingly suggested that she become an Air Acolyte, since she was so averse to violence. At first Miki liked that idea, but she did not think she had the right spiritual discipline. Plus, the Air Nation would be yet another community in which she felt outshone, since its most important members were airbenders.

She was not an athlete, even by non-bender standards. Miki supposed she could be one if she tried hard enough, but she did not particularly want to be one. She knew so many athletes that the occupation did not seem particularly special to her, even though she was aware of the fame and fortune it could carry.

The most commercially successful non-benders Miki knew were Aunt Asami and the Varrick family, and they were all rich inventors and geniuses. She found technology interesting enough to read about, but did not feel particularly comfortable racing, experimenting, or working with tools. She did not much like business and finance, either: big numbers overwhelmed her. She was moderately interested in fashion and cosmetics, but thought they were a little too frivolous for a career path.

Many of Mako's relatives, most of whom still lived in or near Republic City, were non-benders. Among them, Miki felt normal. She liked learning about their Earth Kingdom crafts and folk tales, some of which she wrote down in her notebooks so she would not forget them. She secretly hoped to publish them someday, but for now she kept them secret and looked for other ways to prove her worth.

She could try to outshine her siblings in school. With no training, she had more time to devote to studying, extracurricular activities, and extra credit projects. She also asked to sign up for different children's activities, classes, and workshops during the summer. One year it was first-aid. Other years it was gardening, acting, pottery, or making traditional Fire Nation masks.

On a visit to Zaofu, while Korra was meeting with the city's leaders, she took some art lessons at Huan Beifong's gallery. At first her painting was too much like calligraphy, neat and uniform. Huan exhorted her to free herself from such restriction. He did not know what kind of chaos Miki had experienced, and what kind she still put up with in her home life. She sought order and stability.

Thinking of all these sources of frustration, so small individually but so great collectively, she finally let her emotions loose, painting all kinds of harsh shapes; but in the center she put an area of calm colors and patterned textures, a place of solace, refuge, the kind of peace all people sought.

"Cosmos in chaos," Huan marveled when he saw the completed canvas. "Inspiring."

Miki was surprised and pleased; she had never heard him express so much approval before.

Mako hung the painting on her bedroom wall, where she could look at it while working at her desk or lying in her bed. For a while she continued to nurse the idea of being an artist. She practiced calligraphy, painting, and origami. She gave her work away as gifts, which she found to be a good way of making people remember her as an individual rather than part of a set.

One time, she asked Korra to make clay by combining water- and earthbending. But then Daiki and Kesuk wanted to join in, and while they had a fun, messy time together, the medium was no longer Miki's alone. She saw the way benders could sculpt and perform using their elements, and realized she could never compete with that skill. So she might enjoy art as a hobby, but it would not be a lucrative career.

Playing with Naga made Miki think about being an animal trainer or veterinarian. She was the one who suggested finding a mate for Naga so she could have polar-bear puppies. Mako looked alarmed at the idea, but Korra thought about it and reflected that it might be a good thing to do, since polar-bear dogs were a borderline endangered species.

It took a few years of bringing Naga to the South Pole, North Pole, and various zoos around the world, before she finally found a male polar bear-dog she liked. By this time, the four siblings were practically adults. They were responsible enough to help care for and train the puppies, but also meant they had their own commitments that could keep them from doing so. Miki was the only one who had ample free time, so she ended up being the puppies' primary caretaker, though all six family members pitched in to feed, groom, and play with them.

The saddest part was giving away the puppies after they were weaned. It was simply not feasible for their family to keep all of them together—in a few short years they would be as big as Naga, and the family's house and yard were too small for them all to live comfortably. Luckily the Republic City Zoo took two, and the others were bought by wealthy people in the Water Tribes, so Naga would still be able to visit each of her children. The four siblings banded together to convince their parents to let them keep one puppy, Shima.

For Miki, one of the best parts of adopting Shima was that, at least in her mind, she no longer had to worry about self-defense. Korra had taught them how to whistle and signal for the polar-bear dogs to defend or attack. Miki took Shima along whenever she went out by herself, and though it made her stand out a bit and alerted people that she was one of the Avatar's kids, she never felt threatened.

Mako often joked that when he and Korra were both out, Daiki was in charge of the other three kids, because he was more apt to follow rules than Naoki. But the siblings had an unspoken code of trust and confidence. So long as they refrained from anything outrageously dangerous, they did not tattle about each other's minor infractions, even if they disapproved of them. More often they approved of them, and colluded in them.

It was (perhaps regrettably) normal for Korra and Mako to return and, upon asking how things were while they were gone, observe telltale signs of secret-keeping: innocent eye-batting, smirks exchanged when the kids thought they were not looking.

It was not normal for them to come home and find the siblings tense and angry with each other. On this occasion, Naoki seemed to have stationed herself at one end of the front room, while Miki held Kesuk in her lap at the other end. Daiki was in the middle, standing and looking forlornly between his sisters. When they asked the usual question, "How are you guys?" Naoki and Miki both tried to speak, then tried to cut each other off.

"What is going on?"

There was a tense moment of silence. Naoki's threatening _don't-you-dare_ glare was fixed on Miki, so Daiki felt free to say, "Naoki and Miki are mad at each other because Kesuk choked and Miki saved him and Naoki didn't want to tell you."

"Daiki!" Naoki whined, angry at his betrayal.

"They asked a direct question!" Daiki protested.

Korra crossed the room to Miki and Kesuk, hugging them both before taking the toddler in her arms. "Are you okay?" she murmured. Kesuk nodded sleepily into her shoulder. She rubbed his back and looked at her other children. "You guys must have been scared."

"Naoki almost had a panic attack," Daiki confided.

"I did not!" Naoki said hotly.

"I said 'almost'!"

"You're just guilty because you didn't cut his food small like I said," Miki said.

"Shut up!" Then Naoki surprised them by starting to cry. Everyone was stunned. Naoki was not the type of person who cried often. Had Miki's words truly hurt her?

Miki approached her sister cautiously. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that—just now, I mean, not what we were talking about before."

"I'm no good at it," Naoki sobbed. When she had calmed down enough to get more words out, she gasped, "I can knock any blockhead out of a ring, but I couldn't do anything when Kesuk was in danger. It would've been my fault twice over."

Miki trembled and hugged Naoki, surprising the older girl.

"Kesuk isn't mad at you," Korra pointed out, carrying him over to the girls. He reached out and tried to swat Naoki's tears off her cheek. The sisters' hug quickly became a family hug, with all six of them trying to hold each other.

As they separated, Mako addressed each of the siblings. "Daiki, you did the right thing telling us. Miki, you did just what needed to be done for Kesuk. Thank you. And Naoki, you can learn from this. And don't be embarrassed to learn from your younger siblings. You all have different strengths. I think that makes you even with each other."

Korra added, "I think you balance each other out. Naoki's great at protecting people, but Miki knows the little details about how to take care of people. Both are wonderful—and important—talents to have."

That put things in a new perspective for both girls. They stopped being jealous of each other for what the other was good at, and focused on appreciating their own and each other's achievements.

On another occasion, when Korra came home from a long trip and found Miki helping Mako juggle responsibilities in the home, she remarked, "You know, Daiki may bend rocks, but I think you're the most rocklike out of the six of us." Miki did not understand right away. Korra explained, "You help things run smoothly."

As time passed, Miki came to think of that first painting as representing herself. When crises arose, she was the one who kept her family members grounded. She took care of Kesuk and the polar bear-dogs and anyone else who needed assistance. She helped everyone take their minds off of whatever was causing their stress and tension. She was the one who knew where to find misplaced objects.

As she grew older, her confidence in writing and enjoyment in storytelling also grew. Having Mako as her father and Jinora as her mentor put her in a good position to become an intellectual of some kind, though she still liked to use her artistic abilities as well. She documented all of her parents' and siblings' achievements, and all the milestones and fun times they shared as a family. The awe, praise, and thanks they expressed when she presented them with photograph albums and scrapbooks made her feel like she had made a contribution to their legacy, and, more importantly, their happiness.

One day Miki caught her parents off guard with a request that at first sounded quite ordinary.

"Can I go to the library—"

"Sure."

"—in the spirit world?"

This made them pause, as she knew it would. They knew from Jinora's research and personal experience that Wan Shi Tong did not take kindly to curious visitors. But Miki had a plan to win the knowledge spirit's favor. "I have manuscripts of my best stories and histories, bound up in one volume—like a collector's edition. I think he'll like it."

"Sure. I mean, you should go with a buddy—"

"Shima will come with me."

Mako raised his eyebrows and looked to Korra for her opinion. Korra smiled, knowing that a polar-bear dog was the perfect companion for an adventure. "I say go for it."

* * *

Disclaimer: The idea of art being a search for "cosmos in chaos" comes from Madeleine L'Engle's book _Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art_.


	5. Memory of a Memory

Table of Contents

"A Spirit of Adoption." Korra and Mako try to figure out how to share their history with their children.

"Passing the Torch." Mako has reservations when Naoki and her cousins want to take up pro-bending.

"Cosmos in Chaos." Miki tries to find her place as the only non-bender in the Avatar's family.

"Memory of a Memory." Daiki tries to reconcile his love for his new family with the memory of his biological parents.


End file.
